The Alpujarra of Granada - Virtually Untouched Villages Since Arab Rule

The Alpujarra is one of the most visited regions of the province of Granada. Difficult access to this mountainous area has, until recently, contributed to the region conserving such a picturesque landscape and architecture.

The Alpujarras cover the area between Sierra Nevada and the sea and stretch eastwards towards the province of Almeria. To the west borders the mountains of Lujar and to the south they almost reach the ocean.


Virtually untouched since Arab rule, yet retaining the original Berber architecture, unique to Spain, it was only in the late nineteenth century that artists, bohemians and backpackers started to arrive to this area. The Alpujarras of Granada are very popular with many visitors, especially the British.


The picturesque buildings of the Alpujarras are one of the most typical features of the Alpujarras landscape. The houses are of a cubic shape with a flat roof, typical of an area of low rainfall, and round chimneys.

The cover is made of fauna, magnesium clay that is impermeable to rain and has a roof of stone. These terrae which now often function as driers have a kind of hood, almost a cylindrical fireplace, topped by a small slab.

In many cases there are steps that bridge the gap between a house and the roof of another, so the street is covered.

Alpujarra houses usually have two floors and are usually whitewashed. In upstairs are the rooms and kitchen on the bottom, areas for livestock and farm tools.

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